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Hortas do Caseirinho White Frisante

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Portugal may not be the first place you think of when looking for good fizz, but this is a delightful, delicate semi-sparkling white from the home of Vinho Verde which we reckon could give Prosecco a run for its money! Vibrant with citrus-fruit flavour and made in a lovely, light, easy-drinking style.

Average rating: 3.9 stars (17 ratings)

Product Code: SG2571

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Regional Note

Portugal

Like its neighbour Spain, Portugal has been undergoing something of a quiet revolution over the last twenty years or so. A reluctance to follow trends and plant international grapes is now paying dividends and the new breed of full-blooded, fruit-filled wines are more than able to compete on the world stage. The unique flavours that are the hallmark of Portugal's indigenous grape varieties have become its trump card.

Vinho Verde, sometimes spritzy and youthful and sometimes made with the aim of creating a more serious white wine, is in the verdant north-west, bordering the Spanish province of Galicia. A wet and fertile area, the grapes ripen with moderate sugar levels and refreshing acidity, meaning that the wines are usually lowish in alcohol at about 10-11%. Astringent, low alcohol red Vinho Verde is also produced.

Trás-os-Montes is a remote region of harsh winters and hot, dry summers in the north-east of the country is bound on one side by high mountains and on the other the border with Spain (the name means 'behind the mountains'. The schistous soils and the grapes are similar to those of the Douro. Reds are often lighter and more aromatic than those of neighbouring Douro.

The Douro is one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world, and deservedly Portugal's best known, the Douro has quickly emerged to lead the way as the country's premium wine region and there is a real pioneering spirit amongst the winemakers here, port shippers included. Although there is an enormous variety of different terroirs within the Douro Valley, this is essentially a sparsely populated, hot, arid region where grapes are grown on spectacularly steep terraced slopes. Wine grapes are the same as those that go into Port. Wines tend to be high in tannin and flavour.

Dão is south of the Douro on granite slopes protected by high mountains and pine forests. The region produces one of Portugal's better-known reds of the same name. Once dominated by rather lack-lustre co-operatives, the area now has a whole clutch of dynamic, small producers making elegant, approachable and enjoyable wines.

Between the mountains and the coast, on fertile clay soils, is Bairrada (barro is Portuguese for clay). Better known for red wines, this is one of the only wine regions in Portugal to be dominated by a single grape variety,the tannic, high-acid baga, making wines that can be tough and astringent in their youth but which soften with age, becoming beguilingly perfumed. These days many blend baga with non-indigenous grapes to make a friendlier style, but the greatest are pure baga. The area also benefits from late-afternoon breezes which favour the production of fresh, food-friendly whites and increasingly popular sparkling wines.

Beira Interior is a rather disparate region covering a vast swathe of inland Portugal south of the Douro and east of Dão. Vineyards are grown at altitude on granite soils. In the north, grapes are similar to those of the Douro while the south has a whole mix of varieties.

Lisboa is a large, coastal region that runs north from Lisbon. Atlantic breezes help cool the vineyards and maintain the fresh acidity and aromatics in the mostly white wines. North of Bucelas, on the Atlantic west coast lies the strip of rolling countryside that contains nine separate DOCs under the umbrella name of Lisboa. This is Portugal's largest wine producing region in volume terms.

Bucelas was the first wine The Society ever sold! This tiny DOC is one of the closest to Lisbon. It produces breezy dry whites which are popular locally.

Tejo was formerly known as Ribatejo is known for good, everyday drinking wines in a range of styles from a wide range of permitted grapes. This region lies on either side of the River Tagus

Lying across the mouth of theTagus river, the Península de Setúbal is a flat, sandy region with the exception of the Serra da Arrábida a short chain of mountains with clay and limestone soils. There are two DOCs here, Palmela north-east of the peninsula where the castelão grape is ideally suited to the sandy soils, and Setúbal, where a sweet fortified wine is made primarily from muscat of Alexandria.

The Alentejo province stretches south from the Tagus to the Algarve and east to the border with Spain and covers almost a third of continental Portugal. Divided into seven diverse sub-regions, the undulating hills are home to many crops. Despite the challengingly arid climate here, this is a dynamic region, referred to sometimes as Portugal's 'new world'.

Members' Reviews (18)

MOST HELPFUL MEMBERS' REVIEWS:

28-Aug-2018Mrs Lynda Armitage

"This is light and easy to drink. I am a lover of very dry wines so on the first sip it felt as though a touch of sugar remained BUT with a few salty nibbles and a bit of good conversation i really enjoyed it and am planning on ordering many more.
I will sum it up as a ' crowd pleaser ' that won't break the bank."

I would recommend this wine

27-Jul-2018Mr Bernard Cook

"I agree with the only other review. Not too dry not too sweet and would challenge some of the prosecco's both in quality and price. Will definitely buy this again and recommend other members to try it.
Mr Cook"

"I find it a light refreshing but not gassy wine.
Its not a strongly flavored wine either.
My partner described to a neighbor as cheap fizz. I disagree. Its a different type of drink. Its not very fizzy and its not as wine as a Verdi or prosecco. Its not as dry as verdi but not as sweet as prosseco.
So it sort of goes down well as a very casual drink or pre dinner. Guests appreciated the lightness."

"It's tasty, fizzy and cheap. And you can drink a few glasses more because it's not too strong. So what's not to like about it? Nothing! Great party wine, nice bottle. Great for Christmas - impress the in-laws without wasting money on them."

"An entry for "Portugal" for my Eurovision party. I've never had Portuguese wine before but after having this one, I will definitely be ordering more. It was popular with everyone at the party. And whilst sadly, the Portuguese song entry didn't make it to the final, this wine certainly made it to our top three. Really pleasant to drink and nicer than any Prosecco I've bought before around the £11 mark. Pleased to have discovered this."

"I bought 6 bottles in the summer and have just finished the last as an aperitif with the family. It's important to get your expectation level right-look at the price sub £7. Once you have done that the rest is easy. Lovely low alcohol wine that you can quaff down. But the semi-sparkling style is subtle. The Society say citrus, my impression is much softer-peachy. This last bottle the girls didn't finish so I'm giving the coup de grace to a half glass. The wine is warm and most of the (semi) bubbles are gone. And yet it's still very appealing. Try drinking some super cheap German supermarket champagne the morning after and see if the bare bones are as good. Reading this back it sounds like I'm damning with faint praise-I'm not. Not a major player for fizz but at £7 everybody should have some. "

"This wine is a pleasant drink; not too dry, with a nice mousse on the pallet. I think the comparisons being made with Prosecco is unfair; a bit like saying that Stevenage FC will give Manchester City a run for the Premier League title in football parlance. Just does not compare."

"This is light and easy to drink. I am a lover of very dry wines so on the first sip it felt as though a touch of sugar remained BUT with a few salty nibbles and a bit of good conversation i really enjoyed it and am planning on ordering many more.
I will sum it up as a ' crowd pleaser ' that won't break the bank."

"I agree with the only other review. Not too dry not too sweet and would challenge some of the prosecco's both in quality and price. Will definitely buy this again and recommend other members to try it.
Mr Cook"

Press Reviews (0)

There are no press reviews for this product.

Previous Vintages (6)

NAP VINTAGE - MEMBER REVIEWS

"I had it with lunch one day. It was rather like abrasive lemonade."

Mr Maximilian Yuen (11-Apr-2018)

"Light and very dry - not too much fizz. Grassy, with the merest hint of apple. A pleasant saline quality reminiscent of oyster juice and parmesan rind. Straight out of the fridge it's initially a little acidic but once you're on the second glass it has a pleasant, easy-drinking quality not unlike a spritzer. Would be very good with a creamy pasta sauce or seafood."

Mr Patrick Vickers (05-Apr-2018)

"Perfectly nice fresh white wine, but what's with the fizz? It didn't seem at all integrated and was more like a wine & soda than a normal fizzy wine."

Mr Colin Mitchell (16-Dec-2017)

"Colour: Pale lemon with a good touch of green.
Aroma: Light and fresh, you can almost smell the bubbles. Crisp apples, lemon with a hint of pears.
Taste: Delicate, dry, not much sparkle on the tongue. Light in body, very acidic with citrus and apple flavours and a short drying finish.
Overall: Lively and refreshing with typical rasping Vinho Verde acidity. On the down side, only semi-sparkling and the bubbles disappear quickly. But at this price this is a really good value and will not disappoint. Serve very well chilled."

Mr Gabriel Higgins (04-Nov-2017)

"Very good value.
Light fizz - just like VV"

Mr Richard Simon (15-Oct-2017)

"It has to be 4 starts as it's simplicity and fresheness in a glass. Semi sparkling and really light, nice as a pre meal aperitif or shellfish."

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